Poll: Romney and President Obama Even in Florida

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — President Barack Obama’s standing with Florida voters is improving slightly and a new poll indicates Mitt Romney would be the only Republican who could mount a strong general election challenge in the nation’s largest swing state.

A random telephone sampling of 1,518 registered voters by Quinnipiac University between Jan. 19-23 showed Obama and Romney each favored by 45 percent in a November showdown. The survey, a snapshot of voter feelings at the time, has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 percentage points. The two also split evenly among independent voters.

Obama reached 50 percent support against former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who got 39 percent in a hypothetical matchup. The poll released Thursday had Obama over former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum 49-40 and U.S. Rep. Ron Paul 47-39.

Source: Brent Kallestad, Associated Press